The average Nigerian woman is gradually becoming an endangered species with the
increasing rate of physical, emotional, and psychological torture, sexual and
domestic violence meted to her at every phase of life.
From Lagos to Akwa Ibom, Delta to Benue, Kano to Abuja,
Zamfara to Ekiti, Enugu to Edo, Kaduna to Osun, Anambra to Imo, daily the media
is saturated with gory tales of girls; women, and mothers who are tortured,
raped, beaten to a pulp, sometimes even to death.
They are faced with life-threatening attacks in their
workplace, community, family, and from people who should protect them.
For the flimsiest reason, a lady can be set ablaze by her
lover. Recently in Benue, a middle-aged man, simply identified as Nicodemus,
set himself and his girlfriend ablaze in Makurdi. While Nicodemus died on the
spot, his girlfriend, Shiminenge, died later at the Benue State Teaching
Hospital, Makurdi. The Makudi police spokesperson, DSP Catherine Anene, said
Nicodemus committed the act at his girlfriend’s residence on Inkipi Street,
High-Level area of Makurdi on Saturday evening during an argument that had
ensued between them. Nicodemus had locked himself and the lady in her room
before setting the room ablaze.
It was learned that Nicodemus had abandoned his wife and kids for the lady and
that trouble ensued when the lady told him of her plan to marry someone else.
Or shot in the eyes like Mr Austin Umera, a lecturer, who
shot his wife and later shot himself at Kigo Road, Kaduna 19th November 2020.
Umera, a former principal lecturer of Kaduna Polytechnic, Department of
Languages, at about 10 am on Thursday, shot his wife Dr. Maurin Umerah, a part
time lecturer at Department of Languages Kaduna before shooting himself dead.
Dr. Maurin is currently receiving treatment at the State University to 44 Army
Reference Hospital Accident and Emergency Unit.
Unfortunately nowhere seems safe for the Nigerian woman and
Nigeria keeps happening to them in a negative way.
Just last week a mother of eight identified as Gladys who
has spent the last four years of her life locked up in a tiny room-cage by her
supposed husband was rescued in Orerope in Delta state. Gladys, who was accused
of witchcraft, was peeing and defecating in the same room where her husband fed
her bread.
Sadly, he gave the said man 8 children, three of which she
had while she was locked up by him in the Orerokpe community. According to neighbours,
Gladys’ husband told people his wife was deceased. When his children were
interviewed they said they were waiting for her to die so that they can throw
her away in the river.
Gladys is at the general hospital in Orerokpe, where she is
currently receiving treatment.
Murdered in the line of duty The corpse of Chinasa Sofia
Nkwegu a staff of Jennytex Integrated Services with head office at Onitsha was
found inside a drainage at at Odikpi Village, along Osumenyi/Akwaihedi Road in
Osumenyi Town, Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State on November
7, two days after telling her family over the phone that she didn’t know where
she was being taken to by some persons.
When Nkwegu’s body was found, her mouth was gagged while her
hands and legs were tied with rope. She left for work as usual on
Thursday morning, November 5 but never returned. The last that was heard of her
was on the phone when she said she didn’t know where she was being taken to.
Like Chinasa Sofia Nkwegu, Ijeoma Neke, a makeup artist who
resides in Enugu was gruesomely murdered. Her only crime was working to make
ends meet. Ijeoma was last seen on Wednesday 11th November 2020 in Enugu after
she was booked for a makeup business in an undisclosed location. It was
gathered that when Ijeoma demanded for the address for the occasion but the
customer asked her to come to EBS bus stop (a popular bus stop in Enugu) so
that she will be taken to the place. However, on their way, she suspected some
unusual movement and contacted her brother via text message she sent her
brother the phone number of the person who called her for the job in case of
any eventuality.
As at Sunday November, 15 2020 – 9pm Nigerian time, no one
heard from her. Her phone number and the phone number of the person who picked
her up for the job have been switched off.
Unfortunately, a few days after Ijeoma went missing her
corpse was discovered along the road. Ijeoma was a hardworking entrepreneur not
a commercial sex worker yet she was gruesomely murdered.
Bahijja Gombe was just a fifteen-year-old housemaid when she
was alleged to have committed suicide in an apartment where she worked in Kano.
It was gathered that Bahijja murdered herself by hanging, adding that no note
was given up expressing the explanation she took the lethal choice. Kano State
Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abdullahi Haruna, who affirmed the tragic
incident, said Bahijja was discovered hanging in the condo.
What will make a 15-year- old commit suicide, was an autopsy
carried out to determine the exact cause of her death or was her remains
conveniently dumped in a medical clinic mortuary?
Like Bahijja Gombe many of these cases are neither
investigated, more especially when the victim is from an indigent family.
The few ones that are investigated are poorly done leaving room for culprits to
walk free. Some of the cases drag on for years before they are concluded. Hence
the reason why only a handful of suspects who have physically, emotionally and
psychologically torture or sexual abuse victims walk free.
Recently a 39-year-old man, Musiliu Owolabi, was sentenced
to death by hanging for killing his lover, Afusat Idowu. Owolabi, an automobile
mechanic, was dragged before the Abeokuta High court for killing his deceased
girlfriend in February 2018. The lead prosecution counsel, James Mafe who is
the Director of Legal Drafting, Planning Research and Statistics, told the
court that the Owolabi had taken his girlfriend to a hotel situated at Camp
area in Abeokuta for pleasure and while they were having their time together,
she complained of stomach ache and later started foaming from her mouth.
“The convict took her to his vehicle, on his way he noticed
she was dead, and secretly took the deceased to an uncompleted building, dug a
shallow grave and buried her without disclosing to anybody. The convict was
arrested when the younger brother of the deceased went to the police station to
complain that his sister who told him she was going for a naming ceremony at
Bode Olude area never returned. Upon police investigation, with the help of
tracking the deceased phone, it was discovered that the convict was the last
person that spoke with the deceased. On his arrest, he made a confessional
statement to the police and took them to where he buried his lover.”
He was first arraigned before the court in November 2019
where he pled not guilty. Delivering judgment in the case on November 18, the
Chief Judge of Ogun State, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, held that the prosecution
had proved its case beyond reasonable doubts that Owolabi was guilty of the
offense charged and convicted him on grounds that the offense committed
contravened the provisions of section 319 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ogun
2006.
She held that the evidence presented by the prosecution was
tenable and therefore sentenced Owolabi to death by hanging.
SOURCE: Vanguard News Nigeria
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